ADAM Audio SX and AX series monitors at SRH Academy of Popular Arts, Berlin

Published on 23 March 2015

ADAM S3X-V monitors reside in academy's control room, whereas A8Xs can be found in the sound lab

Founded in 2010, the SRH Academy of Popular Arts (hdpk) in Berlin, Germany educates about 500 students per term in bachelor degree courses like media management, media design, music production and sound design. The academy has three studios consisting of a theatre room, a control room and a sound lab. An additional studio designed to meet broadcast and post production needs, is in the works.

The ADAM S3X-V monitors reside in the academy's control room where sound is critical. ADAM A8Xs can be found in the sound lab where students can experiment with different analogue sound synthesis and for listening purposes. The ADAM A8X also provides aural support for seven DAW rooms that are equipped with Apple iMacs loaded with audio software. "For our musical/technical courses like music production and sound design we put special emphasis on controlled listening conditions", Prof. Robert Lingnau, Program Director for music production and the academy's Vice President explains.

ADAM midrange/tweeter’s high directivity

"Of course we have to struggle with the usual room problems as there are standing waves, room modes and resonances that need to be damped. In most cases we have to lower the bass in our seminar rooms, which can be easily adapted at the monitor itself. In some cases when we have many listening students in one room, locating problems usually would occur. Due to the high directivity of the ADAM midrange/tweeter, the effective stereo image is perceptible across a broader frequency range in comparison to conventional loudspeakers."

Covers wide range of musical genres

In reply to the question, which characteristics would describe a high-quality monitor best for him, Prof. Lingnau answers clearly: "To me a good monitor is defined by its neutral sound image that allows for a consistent listening experience even at low volumes. It should not 'beautify' things in terms of adding makeup to the audio signal. Furthermore, a high directional effect resulting in a large direct sound field is just as important to us as a good balance of phase accuracy and frequency response, wherein we see the strength of ADAM. ADAM monitors cover a wide range of musical genres by providing all the phase accuracy that is needed for a classical production as well as a broad frequency range and especially enough bass to be able to represent pop music productions, which makes them very suitable for our musically diverse training. That's why we decided particularly in view of our workshops for one single type of monitor to make sure the sound experience for the students is virtually the same in each room."